Best Lapdesk 2019 – The Ultimate Lap Desk Buying Guide

A lapdesk (or lap desk) is a simple product whose purpose is pretty much self-explanatory: you keep it on your lap and it serves as a base for your laptop, potentially some peripherals as well. You can also use it for reading and writing, which was actually a lapdesk’s original purpose back when it was first invented, long before laptops became a thing.

So, if you spend a lot of time in bed with your laptop or you just need a portable base for it elsewhere, check out our selection of the very best lapdesks of 2019!

LapGear Essential Lap Desk

The first lapdesk on our list is LapGear’s Essential Lap Desk. Designed with portability in mind, it measures only 13 inches in diameter. As such, it will comfortably hold a MacBook or a smaller laptop, but laptops measuring over 13 inches would just be a bit of an awkward fit. Furthermore, the lapdesk has a small notch meant to hold pens, but nothing much bigger.

All in all, the Essential Lap Desk excels at two things: being affordable and being portable. It is very light and even includes a handle, so it is very easy to carry around. As a cherry on top, it also comes in a number of colors, thus allowing you to choose whichever one you’d prefer showing off in public.

What We Loved

Compact and light

Easy to carry around

Comes in multiple colors

What We Didn’t Like

LapGear MyDesk Lap Desk

Next up, we have another LapGear product, the MyDesk Lap Desk (catchy, ain’t it?). It is similar to the Essential Lap Desk in terms of overall design and approach, although it differs in a couple of aspects.

Most noticeably, it is larger and supports 15.6-inch laptops, as opposed to the 13-inch maximum of the Essential Lap Desk. Other than that, there are the two compartments on either side of the handle which can be used either as a dock for a phone or to store some smaller items. And much like its more compact counterpart, MyDesk also comes in multiple colors.

The only bad news is that there is nothing except for the surface texture to keep the laptop stable and in place. This isn’t as big of a problem with the smaller laptops that the Essential Lap Desk was designed for, but most 15.6-inch laptops will need a little more than a textured surface to keep them secure when the lapdesk is at an angle.

What We Loved

Built-in compartments serve well as a smartphone docks

Comes in multiple colors

Portable

What We Didn’t Like

LapGear Smart-e Lap Desk

Following suit is another product from LapGear (well, all of them are, if you haven’t noticed from the table at the beginning), the Smart-e Lap Desk. It fixes the primary issue with the MyDesk and introduces a couple of must-have features at a minimal price increase.

Now, much like the MyDesk, it fits laptops up to 15.6 inches in size. However, it brings two new important tricks to the table. First, there’s the notch which is designed to accommodate tablets as big as 13 inches, meaning that it can comfortably fit even the biggest 12.9-inch iPad Pro. On top of that, there is the tapered foam cushion which serves both as a wrist rest and as a means of preventing laptops from sliding off, something that was lacking in the MyDesk.

There are no major shortcomings to the Smart-e, apart from the fact that it doesn’t come in as many color options like its more affordable brethren, as it is limited to black carbon, silver carbon, and white carbon surfaces.

What We Loved

What We Didn’t Like

LapGear XL Laptop Lap Desk

With the LapGear XL Laptop Lap Desk, we come to the more serious solutions for users who need more space. Yet, it’s not just the sheer size that makes the XL lap desk stand out!

The first thing that you’ll notice about this particular lap desk is that it has two mouse pads on either side, which is great news if you prefer using a mouse with your laptop instead of the touchpad. Furthermore, the wrist rest is still there serving the same dual purpose as before.

One thing to keep in mind is that this lapdesk technically only supports 15.6-inch laptops if you plan on using one of the mousepads, as a 17.3-inch one will obstruct a large portion of a mousepad, rendering it useless.

Apart from that, there are no major downsides to speak of, except maybe the fact that it is a bit bulkier and heavier than other more compact lapdesks. As such, it may not be as easy nor as convenient to carry around as the others.

What We Loved

What We Didn’t Like

LapGear Home Office Pro Lap Desk

And finally, we have the Home Office Pro Lap Desk. As the name implies, it is geared towards the most demanding of users, be they actual professionals or not.

Essentially, it is pretty much the same as the above XL lap desk, but with a couple of improvements. This time around, you’re free to use even the largest 17.3-inch laptops without obstructing the built-in mouse pad. However, the Home Office Pro only incorporates one mouse pad on the right-hand side, and unfortunately, no left-handed variant is available.

One neat addition is the small notch located on top of the mouse pad. It is only so big as to hold a phone or a phablet vertically, so it won’t fit any actual tablets.

As for the downsides, there is the same issue of portability that we’ve seen with the XL above, but there’s also no denying that this particular lapdesk is quite pricey, as far as lapdesks are concerned.

What We Loved

Supports laptops of all sizes

Included mouse pad

What We Didn’t Like

Conclusion – The Best Lapdesk of 2019

All things considered, our first pick would have to be the Smart-e lapdesk.

Why?

Simply because we deem it to offer the best value for your money out of all the products on this list. It supports laptops up to 15.6 inches in size, and the majority of laptops out there fit into that category. Moreover, it has the tapered-on cushion which both keeps the laptop from slipping and provides the user with a comfortable wrist rest.

Furthermore, that notch is worth noting as well, as it allows tablets to be used conveniently with a wireless keyboard, thus greatly contributing to the lapdesk’s versatility.

But hey, that’s only our choice! All of the lapdesks included here are quality products, and as long as you keep their respective advantages and disadvantages in mind, you will not be disappointed with your purchase, whichever one you choose.

On the other hand, if you’re a do-it-yourself kind of person, you might as well make your very own lapdesk. Check out the handy guide below!